


by her hands

by ninemoons42



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: BAMF Women, Behind the Scenes, Female-Centric, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, Women Being Awesome, this is where the Resistance got started
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 10:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6466156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninemoons42/pseuds/ninemoons42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the very beginning of the Resistance there is one woman -- Leia Organa -- and there are many women -- the beings who stood with her when she broke away from the New Republic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	by her hands

**Author's Note:**

> I got so, so inspired by [this gifset](http://alyciadebnumcarey.tumblr.com/post/142239098034) of the cast of The Force Awakens. Specifically: ALL THE LADIES.

Leia has had _e-kriffing-nough_ of the New Republic and its aimless appeasement tactics. She’s had enough, she already _knows_ where the First Order wants to go and _she wants to head them off at the pass_. If she doesn’t do that the galaxy will burn up in flames once again.

So she puts her head in her hands and she thinks the door to her private office is closed. Her heart hurts. Far away, nearly unreachable, are the bonds that are tied to her spirit. Han, gone for so long, and taking the unshakeable trust and common sense of Chewbacca with him. (Stars only know if they’re even still on the _Millennium Falcon_.) Ben –- well he’s not Ben any more. He won’t call himself that any more. And Luke, lost in that terrifying mourning that he has probably been carrying around since the _first_ time she’s had to do this.

(She did it once and now she has to do it again. The thought nearly undoes her.)

She sits in her office and the door opens and –- it’s one of the young staffers. It’s Kaydel Ko Connix. Who has been Leia’s right hand for a while now and there’s no one else that Leia can trust on this particular planet. (Poe Dameron is nowhere in this sector. Good for him. Unusually sensible behavior for once.)

Kaydel Ko says, “Ma’am.”

Leia says, “Close the door.” And: “Very theoretically speaking, if I were to leave now, if I were to turn my back on the New Republic, if I were to go and do something _no one should be contemplating doing for the second time_ let alone the first, what would you –- you and the others in the office that you came from –- what would you do?”

“We’d go with you, Ma’am.”

“Do you know where I’m going?”

“Figured it out, Ma’am. The New Republic is going to bend itself over and backwards to prevent another conflict. But that conflict’s already here.”

“The First Order,” Leia says. She growls out a string of Huttese obscenities.

Kaydel Ko helpfully adds another set of curses, jumping three different languages in the process and ending up with a dialect of Mando’a. 

“Yes, that, exactly.” Leia sighs again. “You can stay, or you can report on me to High Command. No reason for you to jeopardize your career, careers. All of you –- you’re free to go.”

“Which means we’ll all go with you. That is not something that’s up for debate any more –- uh –- with all due respect, Ma’am.”

“Maybe you can dispense with the titles, or at least with _that_ title,” Leia says. “Who knows what I’ll wind up getting called after today is said and done.” She gets to her feet. She picks up the bag that lives in one of the locked cabinets next to her desk. A pang of memory –- she’d been living out of bug-out bags all her life, and this one had a few essentials that had come from Han, and from Luke. 

(The weight of a light-weapon, somewhere in the bottom of the bag. Just in case. Just for emergency use.)

“I’m breaking with the New Republic now,” Leia says, quietly. “Come with me or not, that’s entirely up to you. I’m going to take the fight to the First Order.”

And Kaydel Ko grins, and opens the door.

Leia walks through with her head held high.

Footsteps, rumbling, movement behind her.

When Leia Organa walks out of the suite of offices that had been provided to her by the New Republic, her entire staff walks out with her: a dozen beings from all over the galaxy. 

Most of them are female, or identify as female.

Heads held high.

(Ackbar and Statura and the rest flock to her side within the month –- but long before they get there, everyone in the Resistance already knows to call Leia Organa _General_.

(The idea had come from Kaydel Ko Connix.)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[PODFIC] by her hands](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11098299) by [forzandopod](https://archiveofourown.org/users/forzandopod/pseuds/forzandopod)




End file.
